🔗 Share this article

Drawing from a popular NYC restaurant, this innovative technique converts usually thrown-out external lettuce leaves into an velvety green emulsion. It’s an smart way to reduce kitchen waste while creating a condiment flavorful and flexible.

The Reason Use Outer Lettuce Greens?

Those outer leaves serve as nature’s natural wrapping, shielding the delicate inner lettuce. While recycling produce trimmings is one fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering new applications for these parts is even more beneficial. Converting excess food into fertile compost avoids landfill accumulation, where it may emit greenhouse gases, a potent environmental concern.

It’s quite radical if you consider over it: produce rots and becomes that perfect soil to feed more plants, thereby completing this loop and honoring the cycle of growth.

However, given over 30% surplus produce being made than required, using valuable ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes a more eco-friendly way of living.

The Herb-Infused Emulsion Method

The adaptable recipe functions with any type of salad greens and nuts. Through using one whole egg, you avoid any hassle to repurpose the extra white. This outcome is a creamy, rich sauce that pairs beautifully with salads, grilled veggies, seared poultry, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external lettuce greens from 2 little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted pistachios – white nuts like blanched almonds assist keep the vivid green, though whatever seeds can work
• 1 small entire egg

For the Side

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 generous bunch fresh greens (such as chives), leaves left intact, stalks finely chopped

Instructions

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the butter in one medium saucepan, toss in the external lettuce greens, place a lid and wilt for about a minute, mixing once or twice, till they have softened. Transfer the mixture into the jug of an immersion processor, add the pistachios and whole egg, then process until creamy. As necessary, add more nuts to get the thick consistency. Keep in a airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For assemble the salad, drizzle each gem portion with oil and acid, then season liberally. Dress with one zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and serve immediately.